journalists say if politicians are going to talk about civil rights, we're not going to make it a front burner issue. journalists say if politicians don't talk about gay marriage, we're not going to cover it. your seeding responsibility to a political class that wants to duck uncomfortable issues and not to be advocates and don't they have a responsibility to say we just saw 20 children killed -- >> we covered civil rights and the gay rights because it was in the streets. we covered it because it was a legitimate news story. this is a legitimate news story. we can't go on "today" show or cnn in the morning week after week covering the story that is only being talked about on sets like this. >> there was a mall shooting. there was a mall shooting two days or a week before this where two people were killed. that was it. >> two policemen killed in topeka, kansas, two policemen killed in topeka, kansas, the same day. do we now point our cameras at those incidents more? do we ask questions of the president -- >> cover the news. >> you know what, fred, the news is also not just a spectacular